Warriors for survival of the Sixth Kingdom

Writer: Elaine Davie.

If this headline sounds like the title of a video game, it’s a misnomer. Actually, it’s about the passionate commitment of 300-plus, generally mild-mannered, peaceable members of the Kleinmond Nature Conservation Society (KNCS), who are prepared to give their all to ensure the well-being and survival of their part of the smallest Floral Kingdom in the world.

It might be instructive to remind ourselves of its fragility and what a huge responsibility rests on our shoulders to protect it. This tiny portion of the earth’s surface, located on the southernmost tip of Africa, originally comprised 40 000 m²; that figure has now shrunk to a mere 18 000 m², of which only 5.6% is preserved in nature reserves.

Hikers on one of the many trails created by the Kleinmond Nature Conservation Society (KNCS) in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. PHOTO: Supplied

It is estimated that this amazing mini-kingdom once consisted of more than 6 000 unique species; of these, 125 have already become extinct or are in imminent danger of extinction, and a further 1 134 are vulnerable or rare.

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